וַיְהִי֩ בִשְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים וָשֶׁ֜בַע שָׁנָ֗ה לְגָלוּת֙ יְהֹויָכִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֔ה בִּשְׁנֵ֤ים עָשָׂר֙ חֹ֔דֶשׁ בְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָ֖ה לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ נָשָׂ֡א אֱוִ֣יל מְרֹדַךְ֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ בָּבֶ֜ל בִּשְׁנַ֣ת מָלְכֹ֗ו אֶת־רֹ֛אשׁ יְהֹויָכִ֥ין מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֖ה מִבֵּ֥ית כֶּֽלֶא׃
And it was in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Yehoyakin king of Yehudah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh of the month, that Evil Merodakh king of Bavel, in the year of his reign, lifted up the head of Yehoyakin king of Yehuda from the house of imprisonment.
Morphology
- וַיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it was”; Notes: Introduces a chronological narrative.
- בִשְׁלֹשִׁים וָשֶׁבַע (bishloshim va-shevaʿ) – Root: שלשׁ, שׁבע; Form: Preposition + compound cardinal number; Translation: “in the thirty-seventh”; Notes: Refers to the 37th year of exile.
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “year.”
- לְגָלוּת (le-galut) – Root: גלה (galah); Form: Preposition + noun feminine singular; Translation: “of the exile.”
- יְהֹויָכִין מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה (Yehoyakin melekh-Yehudah) – Root: Proper nouns; Form: Construct title + name; Translation: “Yehoyakin king of Yehudah.”
- בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ (bishenayim ʿasar ḥodesh) – Root: שׁנים, עשר, חדשׁ; Form: Preposition + compound number + noun masculine singular; Translation: “in the twelfth month.”
- בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ (be-esrim ve-shivʿah la-ḥodesh) – Root: עשרים, שׁבע, חדשׁ; Form: Preposition + compound number + preposition + noun; Translation: “on the twenty-seventh of the month.”
- נָשָׂא (nasaʾ) – Root: נשא (nasaʾ); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he lifted up”; Notes: Idiomatically refers to favoring or restoring status.
- אֱוִיל מְרֹדַךְ (Evil-Merodakh) – Root: Proper noun; Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Evil-Merodakh”; Notes: Successor to Nevukhadnetstsar.
- מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל (melekh Bavel) – Root: מלך, בבל; Form: Construct phrase; Translation: “king of Bavel.”
- בִּשְׁנַת מָלְכוֹ (bishnat molkho) – Root: שׁנה, מלך; Form: Preposition + construct noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “in the year of his reign.”
- אֶת־רֹאשׁ (et-roʾsh) – Root: ראשׁ (roʾsh); Form: Direct object marker + noun masculine singular; Translation: “the head of”; Notes: Idiom: “to lift the head” = to release or show favor.
- יְהֹויָכִין מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה (Yehoyakin melekh-Yehudah) – repeated phrase; Translation: “Yehoyakin king of Yehudah.”
- מִבֵּית כֶּלֶא (mi-beit keleʾ) – Root: בית, כלא; Form: Preposition + construct noun + absolute noun; Translation: “from the house of imprisonment.”